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Alliance for the Great Lakes

Author

Alliance for the Great Lakes

Grades

4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

Subjects

Science, Social Studies, Biology, Civics, English Language Arts, Mathematics

Resource Types

  • Lesson Plan, 45-90 minutes
  • Worksheet
  • Assessment
  • Activity - Classroom

Regional Focus

Global, North America, United States, USA - Midwest, Wisconsin, Northwoods (CESA 9, 10, 11, 12), Lake Michigan & Fox/Wolf Watershed (CESA 6, 7, 8), Metro (CESA 1, 6)

Format

PDF

Taking Action

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Synopsis
  • In this lesson, students will look at sample datasets of environmental conditions at a beach (such as the amount of litter, presence of bacteria, weather conditions, and number of beach-goers), use it to identify an issue, and then craft an action plan to address it.
  • Students will take on the role of city officials and present their problem and solutions using the data to support their decision.
Teaching Tips

Positives

  • There is a discussion portion to this lesson that helps students debrief and also talk about presenting and listening in general, making it a nice resource to use for introducing presentations.
  • This is part of a larger curriculum that has many great resources available.

Additional Prerequisites

  • The lesson materials note the Garbage Investigation and Beach Mysteries as prerequisites to this lesson but students should be able to do this lesson without difficulty on its own.
  • Some students, including English language learners and younger students, may need the terms in the vocabulary section introduced ahead of time. English language learners may also need to know the definition of waste as it is used in this lesson.
  • The rubric is included in the full K-8 booklet on page 311.

Differentiation

  • Students in math classes can use the data to make line graphs that show trends between two data groups (for example, number of beach-goers in relation to the amount of litter).
  • Strategic planning can be used to ensure that each group has a strong public speaker and a strong data interpreter.
  • In language arts classes, students can use persuasive writing/speaking techniques to improve their initial presentations.
  • Students in health or science classes can talk about the effect that animal waste or overflowing sewers can have on the health of beach-goers, aquatic ecosystems, rivers, and lakes.
  • After completing the activity with fictional data, students who live near a beach (or park) can collect their own data and come up with solutions to real problems in their area. They can also present it to city officials to give their writing/speaking an authentic purpose.
Scientist Notes
This resource contains a lesson plan for an activity where students analyze observed data and make plans to address a problem they observed. In the activity, students pretend they are helping a local middle school analyze data collected from a local beach. The middle school collected data about litter and E. coli at these beaches and would like to help the beaches make a change based on their data. This activity provides students with a chance to observe, think, and make conclusions like scientists do, while they also think about the environment and what can be done to help with pollution around the great lakes. The lesson plan includes all needed information and has links if more resources are needed. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
  • College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
    • Dimension 2: Civics
      • D2.Civ.11.6-8 Differentiate among procedures for making decisions in the classroom, school, civil society, and local, state, and national government in terms of how civic purposes are intended.
      • D2.Civ.13.6-8 Analyze the purposes, implementation, and consequences of public policies in multiple settings.
      • D2.Civ.11.3-5 Compare procedures for making decisions in a variety of settings, including classroom, school, government, and/or society.
      • D2.Civ.13.3-5 Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.
    • Dimension 3: Developing Claims and Using Evidence
      • D3.4.3-5 Use evidence to develop claims in response to compelling questions.
  • Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
    • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4 Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
    • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
      • 5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
    • ETS1: Engineering Design
      • 3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
  • Common Core Math Standards (CCSS.MATH)
    • Measurement & Data (K-5)
      • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.B.4 Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots. For example, from a line plot find and interpret the difference in length between the longest and shortest specimens in an insect collection.
      • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.B.2 Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use operations on fractions for this grade to solve problems involving information presented in line plots. For example, given different measurements of liquid in identical beakers, find the amount of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all the beakers were redistributed equally.
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